Rupee ended tad lower, Pound lower vs. Dollar

Wednesday,   24-Apr-2024   04:03 PM (IST)

The Indian rupee ended the session a tad lower at 83.3225/3325 levels compared to its opening at 83.30/31 levels after touching the low of 83.3250/3350 levels on dollar demand from local oil companies and importers. An uptick in the dollar index also weighed on rupee. Rupee traded in the range of 83.2625-83.3250 level today. Meanwhile, dollar-rupee forward premiums ticked higher, with the 1-year implied yield up 2 basis points at 1.68%. Most Asian currencies were higher, with the Korean won and Indonesian rupiah advancing by 0.5% and 0.4%, respectively. Indian government bond yields were up as traders awaited fresh triggers. Equity benchmark indices ended Wednesday's range-bound session with slim gains as selling pressure in information technology (IT) stocks intensified in the fag-end. The S&P BSE Sensex closed at 73,852.94, up 114.49 points or 0.16%. The Nifty50 closed at 22,402.40, up 34.40 points or 0.15%. In the forward segment 1mth, 3mth and 6mth annualized premia ended the day at 1.15%, 1.21% and 1.35% respectively.

The pound eased on Wednesday, surrendering some gains from its biggest one-day rally in four months the previous day, after a softer reading of monthly U.S. business activity battered the dollar. Sterling was down 0.1% at $1.2435, having risen 0.8% on Tuesday, the most in one day since mid-December. The euro was steady against the pound at 85.99 pence. The pound has come under pressure this week, having hit its lowest since November on Monday, after Bank of England officials suggested the central bank was becoming more confident that UK inflation is subsiding, which would indicate that interest rates might fall more quickly than the market currently expects. BoE Governor Andrew Bailey last week said inflation in Britain was subsiding in line with the central bank's forecasts, while Monetary Policy Committee member Dave Ramsden, who has recently voted to keep rates where they are, said the risk of price pressures remaining too high has receded. The derivatives market reflects a belief among traders that the BoE could cut rates once at its August meeting and again by the end of the year. Markets show traders believe there is about a 40% chance of a June cut, something roughly half the economists surveyed by Reuters for a poll published on Wednesday expect. BoE chief economist Huw Pill on Tuesday expressed caution about the prospect of early rate cuts and the date of the first one probably remains "some way off", he said in a speech. Highlighting how tricky the situation is, a survey of purchasing manufacturers on Tuesday showed business activity in Britain picked up at its fastest pace in nearly a year, although an index of input prices hit its highest since last May. Wage growth is another area of focus for the BoE. An industry survey on Wednesday showed British employers reached median basic settlements with staff in the three months to the end of March that were 4.8% higher than a year earlier, although down from February's 5% rate. Before they cut interest rates, most BoE policymakers want to see signs that annual wage growth is heading back to the 3-4% range from the most recent rate of 6%.